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Architectural visualization has always evolved alongside technology. What once required expensive hardware, specialist knowledge, and dedicated rendering teams can now happen in minutes. Few people have witnessed that evolution as closely as Knut Ramstad, Partner and CTO at Nordic Office of Architecture. He has spent more than three decades exploring how architects communicate ideas, first through computer graphics and now through artificial intelligence. Alongside his professional work, he taught visualization for approximately thirteen years at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), watching successive generations of architects adopt new tools.
Having worked in both practice and academia, Ramstad sees familiar patterns in the industry’s response to AI. As he puts it, “We saw exactly the same thing when 3D visualization appeared.”
From Early Computer Graphics to AI
Early phase Illustration of a proposed housing project in Oslo
Ramstad’s enthusiasm for new technology predates AI by decades. “After graduating, I was offered a place in Paris to study computer graphics around 1990,” he recalls. “That experience completely changed my perspective. At the time, computer graphics were mainly used in automotive, industrial design, and defense, not architecture. It felt like opening a door into an entirely new creative world.”
The technology itself reflected how specialized visualization once was. “It was a French system called TDI, running on Silicon Graphics UNIX workstations. It was extremely expensive and difficult to use because you needed a deep understanding of physics, but the image quality was incredible compared with everything else available at the time.”
Looking back, Ramstad sees AI as a similarly significant technological shift, this time making high-quality visualization accessible throughout the design process rather than only at the end. That experience has also shaped how the Norwegian architecture firm evaluates the AI tools it brings into practice.
Finding the Right Fit
Early phase illustration of suburban housing development outside of Oslo
If AI belongs in architectural practice, the next question becomes: which tools actually support that work?
One platform that has gained traction among architecture firms is Visoid, an AI visualization tool designed specifically for architectural workflows. Rather than replacing the architect’s design intent, the software transforms existing 3D models into high-quality visualizations in minutes, allowing teams to explore materials, lighting, and atmosphere earlier in the design process.
Ramstad first discovered Visoid through word of mouth. “We at Nordic Office of Architecture have close connections with StartupLab (Norway’s largest tech startup incubator), and I think that’s where it started. Oslo isn’t very big, so when exciting things happen, you hear about them through friends, colleagues, and contacts.”
As the firm evaluated different AI visualization platforms, one aspect of Visoid immediately stood out. “The biggest difference is that Visoid was developed by architects—people who actually understand what tools architects need in practice. It’s very different from the more general AI solutions from the big companies.”
Sketch phase façade studies of office building/commercial spaces in Oslo
That perspective comes from firsthand experience. Visoid CEO Mark Szoke has always believed that visualization should remove friction from the design process. “We architects already have either foggy or clear ideas in our heads,” says Mark. “We want to visualize and translate those ideas, either for ourselves to actually see and test them or to show them to clients. That’s why we sketch. We need to get ideas out of our heads and down to paper to materialize them.”
The problem was that traditional visualization was too slow to be a part of the active design process. “You’d do the whole design process first, then visualize at the end for final presentations or marketing. Take that away, and the entire workflow starts to shift. What we’re really building is better communication for architecture, from the first concept to final approval.”
Equally important was the development process itself. “From the beginning, the Visoid team listened to us. They genuinely wanted our feedback. They’re much more agile, constantly improving the product. Because they’re focused specifically on architecture and design, I believe they’ll create a much better tool for the profession.”
Ramstad also highlights something less visible, but equally valuable for an architectural practice. “Another difference is accessibility. If you try approaching Google or one of the larger companies, it’s almost impossible. With Visoid, you can actually have a dialogue.”
An Evolving Partnership
Left: Knut Ramstad | Right: Workshop led by Visoid CEO Mark Szoke at Nordic Office of Architecture
That dialogue eventually evolved into a collaboration. Visoid and the Nordic Office of Architecture have had a strategic partnership for about two years. As Ramstad puts it, “We’re developing many exciting things together.”
During that time, the firm has continued evaluating other AI tools while refining its own workflows alongside Visoid. Today, the team uses Visoid across projects ranging from residential developments and mixed-use master plans to hotels, office buildings, listed heritage renovations, and mountain leisure projects. The practice has also incorporated the software into design competitions and airport terminal design, where teams rapidly test different design options, materials, lighting strategies and varying levels of transparency before design decisions are finalized.
“Architects don’t need AI to design buildings,” Mark notes. “They need AI to speed up processes or do the laundry so architects can focus on what matters: designing.”
For Ramstad, the collaboration extends beyond new features. “The quality is high, and compliance is extremely important for us. Many of our clients, such as airports and other sensitive projects, are reluctant to use AI. We need systems that are transparent and compliant. Security is essential.” Rather than replacing architectural judgment, the technology enables designers to generate and compare multiple design directions quickly, supporting a more exploratory design process and helping communicate atmosphere and spatial qualities much earlier in a project. For Ramstad, AI is not about replacing architects or shortcutting the design process. His view remains consistent: new tools expand the ways architects can explore, test, and communicate their ideas.
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